Stop doing healthcare compliance the old way

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Every healthcare organization relies on trust. Patients trust providers to protect their personal health information, just as business partners trust systems to be secure, reliable, and compliant. But maintaining that trust under growing scrutiny, increasing cyberthreats, and evolving regulations has become harder—especially when organizations are still doing healthcare compliance the old way.

It's time for a change.

How healthcare compliance has traditionally worked

Historically, healthcare compliance programs have been manual, reactive, and siloed. Compliance wasn’t continuous—it was a checklist exercise aimed at passing an audit during a specific window. Policies were written once and reviewed infrequently. Risk analyses happened sporadically. Documentation was scattered across shared drives and email chains.

HIPAA set the foundation. Since the enactment of the HIPAA Security Rule, covered entities and business associates have been obligated to protect electronic protected health information (ePHI). This includes ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of that data across administrative, technical, and physical domains.

NIST guidance added structure. Frameworks like NIST SP 800-66 helped provide implementation roadmaps, but applying them still required a heavy lift. Security teams were often left to interpret requirements on their own without integrated tools to simplify the process.

The audit landscape remains fragmented. HIPAA enforcement comes through desk and on-site audits by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)—there’s no such thing as an official “HIPAA certification.” Meanwhile, many healthcare organizations also pursue frameworks like HITRUST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2 to demonstrate broader security and privacy assurance. Each has different evidence requirements, scopes, and auditor expectations.

As a result, the traditional approach to healthcare compliance has been complex, high-effort, and prone to inconsistencies.

The common pitfalls healthcare companies face

Even well-intentioned compliance programs are vulnerable to the same set of challenges—especially if they rely on outdated practices.

Incomplete or outdated risk assessments. OCR’s audit findings consistently call out organizations for failing to perform thorough, timely risk analyses. This foundational requirement under the HIPAA Security Rule is often mishandled or missing entirely.

False sense of security from unofficial HIPAA credentials. Many companies purchase “HIPAA certifications” from third parties that have no recognition from HHS. These can create dangerous blind spots when organizations assume they’re compliant without actually meeting the Rule’s requirements.

Incorrect audit partners. Using the wrong type of auditor for your framework can invalidate your results. SOC 2 must be performed by licensed CPAs. HITRUST assessments must be conducted by Authorized External Assessors. ISO 27001 certificates must come from accredited certification bodies. Make the wrong choice, and your efforts may be rejected by partners or regulators.

Manual, inconsistent evidence handling. Without automation, gathering audit evidence becomes painful. Screenshots, CSV files, and emailed narratives create inconsistency. Evidence becomes outdated quickly and tracking down updates wastes valuable time.

Lack of control mapping across frameworks. Many healthcare organizations operate across regulatory and industry requirements. Without a unified view, teams redo work for each framework—checking the same boxes multiple times instead of consolidating efforts under common controls.

The cost of these missteps goes beyond time lost. They introduce measurable risk to your compliance posture and open potential gaps in the protection of sensitive health data.

What healthcare compliance will look like in 2026

Compliance is moving from static checklists to dynamic, continuous programs. And healthcare is at the center of this shift.

Regulations will get more rigorous. In response to growing cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, HHS/OCR is proposing updates to the HIPAA Security Rule to strengthen requirements for risk management, incident response, and authentication standards. These changes—if finalized—will raise the bar for every organization handling ePHI.

Expectations around continuous monitoring will rise. Audits are shifting toward validation of operational controls that work in real time—not just documented intent. Proving compliance means showing logs, configurations, and system state—not just policies.

Multi-framework alignment will become the norm. Organizations that rely on multiple trust frameworks—such as HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001—will consolidate programs with shared evidence and unified control libraries. Redundancy will be replaced with harmonization.

Technology will become essential. Compliance platforms will no longer be a “nice to have.” They’ll be a prerequisite. Automated evidence collection, integrated risk assessments, and auditor collaboration will define readiness. Without them, audit timelines and resource costs spiral.

The organizations that treat compliance as a living, breathing function—not a once-a-year deadline—will be the ones who lead.

The better way: how Thoropass transforms healthcare compliance

Thoropass was built to help healthcare organizations modernize how they manage compliance—without compromising quality, timelines, or trust.

Integrated platform, not patchwork tools. Thoropass brings everything into one place: policy templates aligned with HIPAA and HITRUST, automated evidence collection across systems, real-time audit readiness dashboards, and expert oversight from certified professionals. No more spreadsheets or manual uploads.

Automated, auditor-ready evidence collection. With 100+ integrations—including AWS, Okta, JAMF, and Google Workspace—Thoropass automatically pulls the evidence your auditor needs. Our AI prescreens evidence for completeness, so you're not stuck in back-and-forth cycles when deadlines loom.

Seamless support for multi-framework programs. Manage SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA-aligned controls, and HITRUST from the same set of mapped controls. That means one security control can satisfy multiple framework requirements, helping you scale without duplication.

Auditors who don’t grade their own work. Thoropass is a licensed CPA firm, ISO-accredited certification body, PCI QSA, and HITRUST Authorized External Assessor. But our compliance experts and auditors are never the same team. That separation of duties builds credibility and trust—with regulators and customers alike.

Built for ongoing compliance, not just audits. With continuous monitoring, you know where your controls stand at any moment. That makes internal reviews, third-party audits, and partner questionnaires easier—and keeps your posture stronger between cycles.

In an environment where patient data is under constant threat and regulations are evolving fast, compliance must evolve too. Thoropass gives you the tools, expertise, and visibility to do just that.

Don’t wait to modernize

Healthcare compliance isn’t just about checking boxes or surviving audits—it’s about protecting what matters most. Doing it the old way no longer meets modern security expectations. It’s time to rethink your approach.

With Thoropass, you get an integrated compliance platform backed by accredited auditors and healthcare expertise. We help you reduce prep time, ensure audit readiness, and confidently scale your security programs—framework after framework.

Schedule a discovery session today and see how Thoropass delivers healthcare compliance that works now—and in the future.